The hardsuit community (apparently) has evolved a number of “standard” body types, where the core of the model uses a particular idea, which is then embellished. I selected a number of these standard cores, but only present one example of each. I believe that I give credit below to the originator of any given standard core, but it can be hard to track this down, so I may have got it wrong. Let me know if you know better.

As before, I had to guess at some of these models, going by pictures posted to the net. In most cases, I changed the head entirely, as hardsuits typically use minifig heads, which Mechaton models usually avoid. I also sometimes added extra stuff or changed a bit here and there. I’m sure I also guessed wrong in a few places. So, if these drift from the standard, that is why.

The LDraw files use the latest part collection, but may contain unofficial parts. (Also, you may need to right-click on the .ldr files and “Save Link As…”.)

	Blacktron by pasukaru76 Source: Flickr LDraw file: pasukaru76-blacktron.ldr		Double Edge by xezav Source: Flickr LDraw file: xezav-doubleedge.ldr
	Hardersuit by Alvaro Gunawan Source: Flickr LDraw file: alvarogunawan-hardersuit.ldr		Reclean (based on “Cleanbot”) by PolarBear!! Source: Flickr LDraw file: polarbear-reclean.ldr
	Retriever by xezav Source: Flickr LDraw file: xezav-retriever.ldr		Übermann by Geoff Herndon Source: Flickr LDraw file: geoffherndon-ubermann.ldr
	W. Mk1 by W. Mark Source: MocPages LDraw file: wmark-wmk1.ldr		ZSF-AHTP by Mr. Villa Source: Flickr LDraw file: mrvilla-ZSF-AHTP-4.ldr

To view these files, you’ll need some kind of .ldr viewer, such as Bricksmith or others.

Lastly, a repeat of my earlier plea: when you come up with the next great frame, please give the world an LDraw file for it, so we can marvel at your genius from any angle we like.

I haven’t found this easy, as often all you have to go on are some low resolution photos that never seem to include the angle you need. To spare would-be frame builders some of the irritation I went through, I created some LDraw files detailing step-by-step instructions on how to make some of these frames. (You may need to right-click on the .ldr files and “Save Link As…”.)

	The “Classic” by D. Vincent Baker Source: Mechaton rules LDraw file: vincentbaker-classic.ldr		Chucker by D. Vincent Baker Source: ptimanya designs LDraw file: vincentbaker-chucker.ldr
	5gen by D. Vincent Baker Source: ptimanya designs LDraw file: vincentbaker-5gen.ldr		AIn-11 by Joshua A. C. Newman Source: the glyphpress LDraw file: joshuanewman-AIn-11.ldr
	Radial by David Laurence Source: Brickshelf LDraw file: davidlaurence-radial.ldr		Conscript by Soren Source: Flickr LDraw file: soren-conscript.ldr
	MgN-302 by Malcolm Craig Source: Mechatonic LDraw file: malcolmcraig-MgN-302.ldr		Mini-frame by Squieu Source: Brickshelf LDraw file: squieu-mini-frame.ldr

To view these files, you’ll need some kind of .ldr viewer. I use Bricksmith, but there are others. Note that a number of viewers can also generate part lists from a model automatically.

There may be part mistakes, as I pretty much just guessed on a lot of things. If you find an error, please drop a comment about it below. It would help if you used the LDraw part numbers to identify both what part is wrong and with what it should be replaced.

Lastly, a plea to all you frame builders out there: when you come up with the next great frame, please give the world an LDraw file for it, so we can marvel at your genius from any angle we like. Heck, post a link to it in a comment below. I’d love to see it.

One key connection in the torso (where the 4733 stud fits into the center hole of the 4032 plate above it) holds much more strongly than you might guess. Stressing the model (dropping it five feet onto a hard surface, for example) usually knocks an arm off, but very rarely comes apart at that torso join.

Fitting attachments requires a little variation in some key places, replacing a piece with one more conducive to holding the attachment. There are only a few places where this can be done, but you can get a lot of flexibility out of those areas. In this exploded drawing of the Shorty, any of the pink pieces can replace the red one. Likewise, the yellow piece can be replaced by the light yellow and blue bits.

Here are some samples showing some of these replacements (as well as some other part swapping). Each is pictured with a plate containing an indication of how many of each type of dice the mech would use in a Mechaton game. If you’ve seen the game, this should be relatively straightforward. For the red dice, shorter ranges are closer to you, and the optional rules are used in some cases. Transparent pips are d6′s, solid pips are d8′s.

The LDraw file is here. To build the basic shorty, you’ll need these parts:

Part		Color		Quantity	Description
This parts list generated by LDView. Part images provided by Peeron.
	2429	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	2	Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Base
	2430	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	2	Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Top
	2540	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 2 with Handle
	2555	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	2	Tile 1 x 1 with Clip
	3022	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Plate 2 x 2
	3023	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 2
	3024	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Plate 1 x 1
	4032	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Plate 2 x 2 Round
	4070	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight
	4081b	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Light Type 2
	4590	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 4 Offset
	4697b	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Technic Pneumatic T-Piece – Type 2
	4733	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Four Sides
	6019	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Horizontal
	6141	43:	Trans Light Blue	1	Plate 1 x 1 Round
	6141	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Plate 1 x 1 Round

The LDraw file is here.

Part		Color		Quantity	Description
This parts list generated by LDView. Part images provided by Peeron.
	2429	71:	Light Bluish Gray	4	Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Base
	2430	71:	Light Bluish Gray	4	Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Top
	2540	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 2 with Handle
	2555	71:	Light Bluish Gray	3	Tile 1 x 1 with Clip
	3023	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Plate 1 x 2
	3024	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Plate 1 x 1
	3623	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 3
	3623	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Plate 1 x 3
	3794	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Plate 1 x 2 with 1 Stud
	4070	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight
	4081a	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Light Type 1
	4081a	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Light Type 1
View on Peeron.com	4085c	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Vertical Type 3
	4590	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 4 Offset
	4697b	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Technic Pneumatic T-Piece – Type 2
	47905	71:	Light Bluish Gray	4	Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Two Opposite Sides
	47905	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Two Opposite Sides
	48336	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Plate 1 x 2 with Handle Type 2
	6019	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	2	Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Horizontal
	61409	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Slope Brick 18 2 x 1 x 2/3 Grille
	6141	0:	Black	2	Plate 1 x 1 Round
	6141	43:	Trans Very Light Blue	1	Plate 1 x 1 Round
	6141	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	3	Plate 1 x 1 Round

In its naked state, it doesn’t look like much, but the attachments fill it out nicely. The arms have two points of articulation with a wide motion range (at the shoulder and elbow), and the lower arm can be flipped around or even swapped out for different parts that use a “locking hinge”. The basic assembly is shown in the image below. In the final stage, there are two different 2×4 pieces that work for the side torso, both of which are shown. The one on the right gives a slimmer look, while the one on the left provides more options for attaching things to the front of the mech.

Here are some samples using both variations. Each is pictured with a plate containing an indication of how many of each type of dice the mech would use in a Mechaton game. If you’ve seen the game, this should be relatively straightforward. For the red dice, shorter ranges are closer to you, and one of the optional rules is used in some cases. Transparent pips are d6′s, solid pips are d8′s.

All of these models were built using Bricksmith, then rendered with LDView. In making these models, I took some liberties with the colors, as I don’t have all the right colors of these bricks. Bricksmith is built on top of LDraw, and uses its file format. Some of these use one or two unofficial parts (which you will need to download if you want to use the files).

• Naked version (bulky)
• Naked version (slim)
• Balanced
• Melee
• Jumper
• Missile
• Firepower

Parts for the naked chassis are:

Part		Color		Quantity	Description
This parts list generated by LDView. Part images provided by Peeron.
	3020	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Plate 2 x 4
	3021	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Plate 2 x 3
	3040b	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	2	Slope Brick 45 2 x 1
	3298	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Slope Brick 33 3 x 2
	3666	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Plate 1 x 6
	3794	72:	Dark Bluish Gray	1	Plate 1 x 2 with 1 Stud
	4070	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight
	4287	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Slope Brick 33 3 x 1 Inverted
	43720	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Wedge 4 x 2 Sloped Right
	43721	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Wedge 4 x 2 Sloped Left
View on Peeron.com	43710	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Slope Brick 2 x 4 Triple Left
View on Peeron.com	43711	71:	Light Bluish Gray	1	Slope Brick 2 x 4 Triple Right
	44301	0:	Black	2	Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with Single Finger on End Vertical
	44301	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with Single Finger on End Vertical
	44302	0:	Black	2	Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with Dual Finger on End Vertical
	44302	71:	Light Bluish Gray	2	Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with Dual Finger on End Vertical
	6141	0:	Black	4	Plate 1 x 1 Round
	6141	43:	Trans Very Light Blue	1	Plate 1 x 1 Round